The Concept of Commitment
Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 43:56
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· 6 viewsJohn 12:1-11 Mary Anoints Jesus' Feet
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John 12:1-11
John 12:1-11
John 12 - “saddle” chapter
John’s placement of this chapter here, more than just sequential
To this point - Jesus has been telling of and explaining his mission
People here have had a front row seat
Martha, Mary, Lazarus, Judas
John 12 is central to Jesus preparing to die for His friends, and the world
He has shown His greatest miracle to date
And he has people’s attention
He is preparing to depart this world
?? ASIDE: The poor always with us
Point is, it’s good to help, but the overall priority first must be devotion and commitment to Jesus
John 12 will emphasize Jesus’ commitment to His mission (to Bethany, to Jerusalem)
And all along the way, He asks those closest to Him to commit to Him
ILLUST: Question…
What, in life, does it take commitment in order to do something really well? (answers…)
Sports - P. Mickelson example, he wanted to be the best putter he could be
Health, Lifestyle
Friendship, Marriage, Music, saving money for something special, Parenting
You don’t automatically become excellent at these, just because you say you want to be
Some of those here, closest to Him
Lazarus - may be risking his life, people want to see him, some for evil reasons
Martha - serving
Mary - sacrificing
Judas - plotting selfishly
Jesus, on mission, taking time now
People here in this account
On the spectrum of what it looks like to have the option to surrender to Jesus
Some reject, some wait, some dive in
Focus on Mary, her sacrifice
Her action SHOWS her sacrifice
Around a year’s worth of wages to someone
She is “spending” the most important “thing” she has
Others see her actions - they will decide if they are similarly committed
What does it take to commit?
Desire is good, but words are cheap
“Starting tomorrow, I’m going to….”
“Right after the holidays…”
Issues: Focus, Habits, Routines
Seeing Mary’s commitment here, how can we apply the concept of total surrender to Jesus?
Major Aspects of the Surrendered Life
Major Aspects of the Surrendered Life
1) Choice
1) Choice
Look at John 1-11 - summarize
Jesus has talked and talked, shown and shown
Now people have to make a choice
Mary’s background - simple life in Bethany, meets Jesus at some point
She had no doubt hear about some King, the Messiah
Likely had the same ideas - let’s throw off Rome
Then she meets, gets to know, hears, sees Jesus
And chooses to commit
God has talked and talked to you
He has shown Himself, and shown Himself
Now you have to make a choice
NOT talking about getting saved, though that is the crucial start
This choice is desire with intent to do something about it
I want to be in better shape - yeah, and?
I want to be a stronger disciple - OK, it’s more than buying a T-shirt or finding spiritual phrases online
But choice is step #1
2) Change
2) Change
Of mindset
Must be honest about how you currently think , what you currently “do” that is not working
I’m not particularly good at guitar
But I want to be
It would help to know what I do not do well, so I can look to change
Bad habits are difficult to break
But they are sometimes harder to admit
Mary had been saving this Nard, maybe as a dowry for marriage, maybe as security of some sort
She apparently is honest about this, and her mindset shifts
What she thought was amazingly important, suddenly was not
Suggestion, Try Psalm 139:23
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
Then let the LORD speak to you, work in you
Let go of the old way of thinking/speculating (they are strongholds in your life, and Jesus is out to destroy them, see 2 Cor 10:5
We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
Living committed to this world, and its ways, must end
3) Commitment
3) Commitment
This is really the focus here
And FOCUS is key here
There can be no commitment without change
And true change will not occur without commitment
Mary is embarking on a life of serving Jesus
She has literally poured out what she held dear to her for security
Her commitment has the goal to honor Christ
Healthy living, another area we give lip service to, easy to pick on
Marriage, for instance, for us
Just staying married is not the same as being committed to a marriage that honors Christ
Parenting, another area we actually SHOW commitment to Christ
Saying you want to raise Godly children is easy to say
SPIRITUALLY
All the devotional books, Bible reading plans, “godly” signs
Look and feel good
Takes commitment to actually apply the choice and changed mindset to this point
And it’s hard work
Look at our examples from before
Takes work to excel
Life change takes hard work
God’s desire for you is to EXCEL as a believer, a growing disciple
4) Change
4) Change
Of actions, what life LOOKS like
Choice made
Mindset shifted
Commitment in place, progress being made
You will see change
New habits have formed, due to renewed and better focus
Routines have changed, old ways that were destroying you are gone or disappearing
(Temptation still lurks…)
SPIRITUALLY
At this point in the process of surrender to Jesus and serving Him, the Holy Spirit is in control
THAT is when true change is reality
You sense JOY
Because you ARE in the WORD
You ARE active in the church, and fellowshipping with believers
You can’t WAIT to talk to the LORD
Not because you have to, are forced to… - God changes your heart
Then the practical from the spiritual
The marriage gets stronger
Godly friendships grow
And so on…
And people who are not surrendered get confused by those who are
It’s OK, let them watch you, experience your joy
Mary’s joy is seen in her actions
How did everyone eventually respond?
Not the point, they get the opportunity to respond to a believer sold out for Jesus
CLOSING
Where are you on that spectrum?
Rejecting, waiting, diving in?
Al those examples- health, sports, friendships, marriage, music…
There are no guarantees that your devotion will have the exact intended result
Phil Mickelson misses putts
NO GUARANTEES - maybe that’s why people quit
ALSO…We tend to see issues others have, but what example are we setting?
POINT
Thinking spiritually
If you commit to Jesus, surrender your life to Him
He GUARANTEES JOY and PEACE
If you commit to Him, and let Him change you
HE WILL - GUARANTEED
And when you change, others see
Then it’s up to them to respond and start the process, beginning with choice
So why don’t you try?
What keeps you from a live lived for the LORD?
What is so important to hang on to?
Choice, change of mindset, commitment
It’s not God, it’s not the world
It’s you - sorry, that’s the truth
We keep ourselves from experiencing the joy that the LORD desires for us
We wonder why we struggle so much spiritually?
Challenge yourself, only if you are willing to change and grow
Have you made the choice?
Will you be honest about habits and thoughts?
What will it take for you to change to the point that you will commit?
What example are YOU setting to others that you want to see growing
You expect THEM to (maybe), but it starts with you
Joshua’s charge - Joshua 24:15
Joshua 24:15 (NASB95)
“…choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: …as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
But this sign only looks good, if that’s all it means
Joshua meant, this will be hard work
Jesus prepares us for hard work
Mary made a decision this day to serve Jesus
My prayer is that we do the same.